Collapsible stand



Oct. 18, 1949. H. P. WEiNKAL JF COLLAPSIBLE STAND Filed 001:. 21, 1946 INVENTOR.

Wzrzkauj BY firmly/var Patented Oct. 18, 1949 UNITED STATES' PATENT QFFICE COLLAPSIBLE STAND Henry P. Weinkauf, Arcadia, Calif.

Application October 21, 1946, Serial No. 704,748

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to improvements in folding trestles or stands and has particular reference to sturdy and rigid structure for use as a working platform.

In dwelling houses such as commonly constructed at the present time, many features and dimensions have been fairly standardized. It is, for example, commonly accepted as standard to place the ceiling of the rooms eight feet above the floor. With such standardization comes demands for uniformity in the equipment used by the artisans engaged in the building of the house. Especially are improvements and uniformity needed in connection with equipment for operations which are diflicult to perform, such as painting the ceilings of modern dwelling houses.

To this end, it is the general object of the invention to provide a trestle or stand which is more convenient to use by workmen, such as painters, engaged in the operations of finishing, repairing or redecorating the rooms of modern dwelling houses. A further object is to provide a collapsible stand which, when folded, takes up very little space in the car or truck used for transporting the required tools and equipment for such operations and which is handy to carry from the car to the place where the work is to be done. A still further object is to provide a device which is easy to fold and to reopen and which forms a rigid and safe stand for the workman.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in the combinations hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a device embodying the invention and in a partly opened position;

Fig. 2 is a substantially corresponding bottom view of the device; and

Fig. 3 is a view of the right end of the stand,

taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrow.

The device of my invention, in the form illustrated in the drawings, comprises a top member or platform I, to which the legs 2 are secured by means of suitable hinges 3. In order to brace the legs along the line where they are secured to the top member, I have placed plates 4 on the underside thereof, which plates also form spacers designed to provide room for the leg braces when the legs are folded up, as indicated at the left end of Fig. 1.

The leg braces consist each of a link 5, which is pivotally hung at 1 on the underside of the top member, and a link 6 which is similarly fastened to the legat 8. The two links are pivotally joined at 9 to form a toggle joint, a downward pull on which causes the links to fold together into the position shown at the left end of Fig. 1. But the link 6 is made with an extension 6 terminating in a laterally projecting lip 6 which lodges within a notch 5 of the link 5 when the legs are swung into open position, thereby to arrest the upward movement of the links when the legs are swung into open position. A sleeve I0 is mounted to slide on the link 5 and it drops by its own weight into position to cover the projecting end of the link 6, thereby to lock the links together against relative swinging movement in either direction. Projections ll limit the sliding movement of the sleeve on the link 5.

Tables and benches have been made with foldable legs and toggle links, but in such structures of this type that have come to my notice, the

links are hung so close to the leg hinges that the structures lack the rigidity required for the purposes of the present invention. They have for this reason, not proved practical for use as platforms for painters and other workmen engaged in the operation of finishing ceilings of modern dwelling houses.

According to the present invention, the links 5 are relatively short and they are mounted on the underside of the platform near the center thereof. The much longer links 6 are pivotally hung on the legs below the centers thereof. A much more powerful and rigid brace is in this manner provided, which also relieves all strain on the hinges 3. In order, however, to make room for such braces, when both legs are folded up, it becomes necessary to offset the braces, right and left, as best shown in Fig. 2. When the outstretched right leg of this view also is swung into folded position, as partly indicated in dotted outline, it is seen that the braces overlap considerably and still are spaced far enough apart so that both legs may be swung into the closed position indicated at the left end of Fig. 1. This is an important feature of my invention.

Further to strengthen the structure so as to render it fit and safe for the purposes specified, the links 6 are shown bifurcated to form triangular frames affording rigid anchoring on the legs of the stand. This is also an important feature of the invention.

Means is provided for locking the legs in folded position on the platform so that they will not swing open during transportation, and such means takes the shape of p'awls H which are hung on the underside of the platform in position to engage bars l3, and the latter are rigidly transverse center of each leg to a point on theplatform near the center thereof, each braceconwsisting of a relatively long bottom link and a relatively short top link, the lower portion: of!" each:

of said bottom links being bifurcated to forma sturdy frame pivotally joined to the adjacent leg of the stand, the portion of the link above the bifurcation thereof being offset to one side and extendedadistance beyond-the pivotal joint oi the two links, the end of. the link. being bent toiform a lip contacting theshor-t link whenthe links are fully extended, a sleeve on the short linkmovable on to. said lip tolock the links, in 25 extended position, a. transverse bar on each leg 4 adjacent the lower end of the brace link thereon, pawls pivotally hung on the platform positioned to engage said bars when the stand is collapsed to lock the legs against said anchoring plates, and springs urging the pawls into engagement with the adjacent bars.

HENRY P. WEINKAUF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 76,459 Hubbard Apr. 7, 1868 164,824 Fairchild June 22, 1875 29%500 Udel? Dec. 18, 1883 1,885,685 Collignon Nov. 1, 1932 1,523,960 Harbison et al Jan. 20, 1935 2,343,537 De Saussure Mar. 7, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 516,715 Great Britain .Jan..9, 1940 

